Promise
by Bellamaus
Summary: An unexpected situation parts the company and Dori, Nori and Ori are on their own. At least for a while. But then all hell brakes loose and Nori has a decision to make...


Hi guys!

First of all, I got the idea for this story at Hobbitcon 2 in Bonn (Easter this year). More on that part after the story.  
I checked everything a few times but if you find errors of any kind just let me know!  
Hope you enjoy it!

* * *

_**Promise**_

Now the dragon was angry. Well, more like fucking furious. Obviously it wasn't the best of ideas to send the hobbit in first.

Smaug had attacked the mountainside they were standing on just moments ago, the ancient door now closed. But the vicious strokes of a dragon tail and blasts of dragon fire took their toll on the old structure.

The same moment the first stone rained from the ceiling someone was screaming for them to run – most likely Bofur – and the next moment Nori was bolting through the corridor along with his brothers.

"Look out!"

Someone grabbed his shoulder and pushed him aside into a smaller tunnel. He stumbled against a wall, coughing from all the dust in the air and his ears droning from the crashing and cracking.

"What the…" Nori started but went speechless.

When he turned to the entrance of the tunnel a warm but diffuse light showed him nothing but pieces of rock piled upon each other. It was totally blocked, no way back to the others.

"Are you okay?"

Still a bit dazed he glanced around to see Dori looking at him while helping Ori to his feet, who – thank Mahal – still got hold of the torch. They had only managed to light three torches before they had to flee into the mountain.

He was releasing his breath in a relieved sigh, not remembering that he was holding it in the first place. Maybe they were cut off from the group but at least they were unharmed and together. And they had light.

"Yeah, everything in one piece. Had you pushed me any harder though I might have cracked my skull on the wall."

Dori ignored him and turned to Ori instead. Nori rolled his eyes at his excessive mothering and instead examined the caved in tunnel entrance.

"No way we're going back there."

Dori looked up. "It can't be that much rock. If all of us lend a hand we should be able to…"

"That won't be necessary."

All eyes turned instantly to Ori. Dori was obviously surprised that Ori'd interrupted him and Nori was intrigued by what he had to say. Now at the center of attention Ori got a bit unsure, and Nori hated it. His little brother was a decent lad with lots of knowledge hidden away in that inconspicuous head of his, but Dori with all his mothering prevented him from growing up and getting confident.

"Well, this tunnel here is a small side tunnel to the other one we were in. It joins the main tunnel further down. We just have to go straight away and don't turn into any of the adjoining staircases, tunnels or ventilation shafts."

With each word Nori's eyebrows rose a bit higher into his hairline. He could see from the corner of his eye that Dori looked as surprised as he felt.

"How do you know?" Nori asked curious.

Even though he couldn't be sure in this light, Nori thought that Ori's cheeks turned a bit redder than before.

"Before… before we started, I asked Thorin if I could have a look at the few still existing maps of Erebor for the journal. I copied them, just in case. And when we were looking for the door I was checking the tunnels at this section here, to see if they even led down to the treasure chamber."

Dori just stared a moment, while Nori started to grin.

"You… what?" stammered his older brother.

Shaking his head Nori headed for Ori. With a broad grin on his face and pride in his gaze he clapped him on the shoulder.

"Smart move, brother. Now I understand what you were whispering to Bilbo before he went inside."

Ori smiled shyly, but obviously he loved the appreciation from his older brother.

Dori was still trying to grasp the situation. He studied the wall of rocks behind them and the darkness in front of them, only slightly lit up from the flickering light of their small torch. There was a darker spot on the left side, indicating another tunnel to the left.

"Are you sure about that?"

Nori groaned, audibly. "Of course he's sure, Dori. Give him some credit, will you?"

Ori just nodded, looking a bit insecure all of a sudden.

Dori rubbed his brow with his fingers and sighed.

"Alright, lead the way."

And Ori did. He held the torch up high, so all of them could see where they were going, and followed the tunnel in a straight line. Dori was close behind, while Nori himself strayed a bit afar from them. He got a look into the side tunnels and down the ventilation shafts. He'd spent a good portion of his life underground, hiding in old tunnels. He knew how important it was to get to know the place to not get lost.

But there was also the other thing: a queasy feeling that didn't want to subside. Every now and then he placed a careful hand onto the stone of the walls and closed his eyes. If anything, this feeling got worse. His gut was telling him to get out of here, preferable sooner than later.

"Hurry up a bit," he urged his brothers on.

Ori was frowning, but followed his words without asking. Dori, of course, didn't. "Oh come on, give us a break. First we're running from a dragon, then from a cave in, can't we just take it a little bit easier for a while?"

But still, he picked up his pace anyway and followed Ori, although irritated and grumpy.

Nori was just glad he'd gotten the desirable result and got back to studying the stonewalls, not noticing the strange – and worried – look he got from his older brother, when Dori realized that no snippy retort was coming his way.

After a while Ori gazed into a broad and steep staircase to their left. He turned to his brothers, a smile on his face, before following the tunnel again.

"I think it's not far anymore. Around 200 yards, maybe less."

"How so?" Dori wanted to know.

"I remember these stairs quite clearly on the map. This tunnel will soon make a turn to the right side and join the main tunnel again. I really hope none of the others got hurt."

Ori sounded worried. And of course he was, he'd found friends amongst the company, they all had.

"I'm sure they're okay. We were the last to get into the mountain, so they should have outrun the rocks."

Nori would have been surprised by Doris newfound optimism had he listened to his brothers at all. Something wasn't right, he could feel it. With every fiber of his being. Faint sounds tormented his brain with their meaning, but he couldn't be sure.

"Will you just shut the hell up!" Nori hissed at his brothers.

He made a careful step back, ignoring their shocked looks by closing his eyes.

That's when he heard it, so very very faint at first, but it echoed back right into his bones. His guts were screaming at him now, building a heavy knot of horror and dread inside of him.

He opened his eyes, staring straight into the alarmed faces of his brothers. He didn't know if they'd heard it too or if their alarm originated from the fear that must be displayed on his face. His voice wasn't loud but it still seemed to carry into every crevice.

"Run!"

This time none of them asked questions. They just run as fast as their legs would carry them and Nori joined them. He stumbled when the first loud crack sounded from the ceiling.

These tunnels had been left without maintenance for at least 60 years. Who knows what had happened during that time. In the end the attack of the dragon followed by the nearby cave in had obviously weakened the whole structure to its breaking point.

The cracking and breaking of the stone all around him seemed to reverberate through his whole skeleton. This confusing feeling made Nori loose his footing again. In the same instant a hand grabbed his arm and pulled him along. It was Dori.

First parts of ceiling rained down on them and the noises grew louder by the second.

They followed the diminished shine of the rapid swinging torch.

They wouldn't make it, Nori was sure of it.

A loud crash behind them strengthened his opinion. The ground beneath his feet shook. Stumbling he lost sight of Dori. Something hit him on the shoulder.

He saw the torch flying, heard the deafening noise from behind before a wave of dust overran him. Something shoved into his back, his left foot knocked against something and he fell. Everything was dark and his hand collided much earlier than expected with… something hard. His wrist twisted painfully, just before a blow to his forehead turned everything even blacker than before.

* * *

Nori awoke coughing. Not a very pleasant way to wake, but at least it reminded him instantly of everything that had happened.

Carefully he pushed himself up, ignoring the pain in his head and his wrist and the small pieces of rock that meanwhile rolled off his back. He blinked a couple of times until his vision cleared and he realized that he could actually see something in the dusty air. So at least the torch hadn't gone out.

_Ori!_

Last he remembered was the torch flying. Something had happened to Ori.

"Ori?"

It came out hoarse and broken not like the shout he'd intended.

This time without care at all for his battered body he stood up. His vision clouded instantly and his knees threatened to betray him. He closed his eyes for a moment and calmed his breathing, effectively fighting the dizziness and the nausea.

"Ori?" he tried again, but still no answer.

After the first few staggering steps he found his balance again and headed through debris and dust ahead to the still lightly flickering torch where his younger brother should be.

Quickly he picked up the torch, his right wrist pounding its protest against the action, and gave it a few seconds so the fire could regain its full intensity.

That's when he saw the foot.

Nori hurried over and crouched down next to the form on the ground. Ori lay motionless on his front, his face turned away from the fire.

"Ori? Ori?" Still no answer.

Nori grabbed his brother's shoulder to turn him around, all the while murmuring like a mantra: "Please be okay, please be okay, please be okay."

When the light of the torch caught Ori's face Nori'd almost lost his grip. There was blood everywhere. He still managed to turn his brother on his back, but now his murmuring had turned into a litany of 'nonono'.

With trembling fingers he checked for the source of all the blood and found a wound on the side of his head. A falling rock must have hit him pretty hard, 'cause every try of his to wake him failed. But he was breathing and his fingers found a pulse.

At least he was still alive.

Relieved Nori took a deep breath. For a moment there he'd thought he'd lost his brother.

He composed himself and got quickly to the task of sitting Ori up, so he could get him out of this mess.

That's when he felt it. A low rumbling from all around, as if the stone itself was groaning in pain. And he knew, without doubt, that this wasn't over yet, it was only a matter of time till the rest of the ceiling would collapse as well.

_Dori!_

His eyes widened in shock. With all his worry for Ori he'd actually forgotten about Dori. He couldn't believe it. While shame flushed his cheeks and heavy swearing left his mouth he leaned Ori against the wall. With a last questioning look towards the ceiling and a prayer in his thoughts he hurried back as fast as he could towards the dark and looming pile of rocks and rubble.

"Dori? Dori can you hear me?"

"Nori?"

He almost stumbled in relieve.

"Keep talking!"

"I'm over here, on your left. Are you alright? Is Ori okay?"

Nori followed the voice. It wasn't far, only a few meters, but with all the rocks and the dust in the air it was difficult to move around. But in the end he found his brother and his breath hitched.

Dori lay on the dirty floor on his right side, propped up on his right arm and covered in dust. But most importantly with a massive chunk of ceiling on his right leg. Everything from his knee down vanished under the rock.

Nori blanched. Even imagining the pain of getting half his leg crushed… he shivered all over. But there was no pain in Dori's face, just annoyance and relieve. How was this possible?

"Dori?"

That's when he saw the small piece of rock next to his brother's leg. It carried the weight of the boulder.

His brother looked him over then followed his gaze to his own leg and understanding showed on his features.

"I'm okay, just stuck. I can't get my foot out. Are you okay? Where's Ori?"

Another faint cracking sound pulled Nori's eyes upwards before he looked to his brother again.

"I'm fine and Ori is unconscious, got knocked out by the debris, but he'll be alright."

He almost felt the stone shifting this time.

"We don't have time, Dori. This whole tunnel is instable, everything will come down. We have to get out of here!"

As if to substantiate his statement he leaned down, grabbed Dori's hand with his left and tried to pull him out. Dori pressed his left leg against the rock as additional leverage, but his leg didn't come free.

This time even Dori heard the groaning ceiling.

"Can you get out of your boot?"

Dori wiggled and they tried again, but Dori wasn't fully in it. His gaze turned to the ceiling again and again.

"This isn't working. Nori, take Ori and get him out of here!"

For a moment Nori just couldn't comprehend what his brother was telling him.

He shook his head vehemently, placed the torch on a rock nearby, leaned down and grabbed his brother's knee with both his hands. With one of his feet pressed against the boulder he pulled with all his might. His injured wrist cried out in pain and tears of agony sprang to his eyes. But the stone wouldn't budge nor his brother's foot.

"Nori, NORI! Stop! Please. Take your brother and get out of here. Bring him to safety. Save him! Alright?"

Nori was still shaking his head.

"I can't leave you here!"

This wasn't right. Dori was his brother, he couldn't just let him die. He'd save him. Somehow, but…

Faint traces of dust were trickling from the ceiling.

Dori was pleading now, his eyes full of emergency and sorrow. "There's no point in risking your lives, Nori. He's so young, so very young. Please, brother!"

He didn't know what to do.

He couldn't leave Dori, but if he stayed and couldn't get him out, they'd all die. He couldn't let Ori die, not if he could save him. But that meant abandoning Dori.

His gaze swept hectically around the tunnel between Dori, the rock on his foot, the ceiling and the place where Ori rested against a wall.

It was impossible, yet he had to decide or they would all die.

His eyes still shone bright with his tears of pain but also with a strong determination and a promise. His voice shook, when he turned to his brother.

"I'm coming back for you!"

With that he grabbed the torch again. "I'm coming back and get you out!" he assured again before running like crazy, back through the debris to his younger brother.

Ori was still totally out.

The cracking ceiling in his back spurred him on to incredible strength. He grabbed his brother's arm with his left, hoisted him up and got his shoulder under his stomach. Stumbling under the weight – a weight that was badly balanced, but with only one hand and no time he couldn't do better – he grabbed Ori's legs and hurried away as fast as he could. Soon he reached the end of the tunnel, turned into the main one and laid his brother down against the wall. His head was pounding from all the exertion after getting knocked out.

He checked Ori with one glance – still unconscious – and noticed the light of torches further away in the darkness.

"The others are coming, Ori. I'm back shortly!"

And with that last words he stormed back into the side tunnel, running as fast as possible with the rubble on the floor and the diffuse light of a fast moving torch. Maybe they could use their weapons as a hand gear.

The groaning got louder, mixed itself with first cracking sounds and seconds later a massive rumbling and crashing filled the halls of Erebor for a third time in a row.

"NOOOOO…"

His scream turned into frantic coughing when the wave of dust hit his face.

He turned around, protecting his face and the flame of the torch with one arm and his body. When the gust of wind eased and his coughing subsided, the fire merely flickered weakly.

With big eyes, red from the dust that was blown into them, he watched the flame. He needed the light, it was essential to see anything in this damned darkness. But he also needed to get to his brother!

Without waiting for the torch to recover he turned around again and stumbled through the blackness thick with barely breathable dusty air.

"DORI! DORI!"

He shouted for his brother, dry coughs wrecking his body, yet he remained shouting. He tripped over rocks, knocked into sharp stones, he tumbled more than once, hitting the ground with his knees and left hand, not realizing the pain. The light of the flame got slowly brighter and he could see more of his surroundings.

Which wasn't a blessing.

It just revealed the massive wall of fallen rocks mere feet away from him. Almost the whole tunnel had caved in, trapped his brother at least a hundred yards away.

But he had promised to get back.

He'd promised to get him out.

This wasn't how it's supposed to end.

No, he had promised!

With determination born in desperation he stepped up to the pile of debris, buried the torch in the crack between stones and started to grab the next best rock. He pulled it loose and heaved it up throwing it to the side. Without pause his hands landed on the next one, but it was either too heavy or really stuck. He wrenched and tugged, but the fingers of his right hand slowly defied his will, lying heavy and feeble and hurting on the stone.

His wrist, his hand couldn't betray him now!

He needed it, needed his strength to get to Dori.

He'd promised!

He'd promised!

His fingers faintly scratched against the rock, keeping time with his lament of 'nonono'.

A hand landed softly on his shoulder from behind. Startled he looked around and up, realizing he knelt on the floor. Someone stood behind him, someone big, but he couldn't make out the details, everything was swimming before his eyes.

"Nori, stop. You're hurting yourself."

The voice was gruff, yet surprisingly gentle.

He turned away, back to the former tunnel, his hands still on a boulder.

"He was stuck and I couldn't get him out. And the ceiling… He wanted me to save Ori. But I promised him to come back. I promised to get him out… I promised…"

The big hand wrapped itself around his upper arm, metal softly clanking, and the other dwarf pulled him up to his feet, grabbing his other arm with his other hand as well. His knees felt weak, but the strong arms held him up facing the other one.

The blurred vision of a tall dwarf with furs around his neck and a partly bold head stood before his eyes. And finally he realized why he couldn't see clearly. He was crying. Crying for the brother he lost, crying for the unaware brother who survived, crying for the brother who had to make a terrible, impossible choice.

"I killed my brother."

It was merely a whisper, but a horrified one.

"No Nori, you saved a brother! You did what every older brother would have done, you looked out for your younger brother and saved him, just as Dori did with both of you."

End

* * *

So, the Hobbitcon-inspiration:  
Someone asked Adam Brown, what Ori would do, if he and his brothers were in a dangerous situation and he had to decide which brother to save, knowing that the other one would then most likely die.  
Well... I couldn't think of something for Ori (yet), but I got something for Nori.

If you'd leave a little comment, you'd make my day! :-)

Bye,

Bella


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